Education technology companies add features. Few actually disrupt how learning happens. Emir Tumen has worked across engineering, strategy, entrepreneurship, and investment, where technology and business growth intersect. After watching innovation reshape industries, he joined Hub21 EduTech to transform education from standardized instruction into personalized learning that scales without adding tutors, classrooms, or operational overhead.
The problem with most EdTech isn’t the technology but the model. Companies digitize traditional education instead of reimagining what learning could be when AI handles personalization at scale. They build tools requiring human intervention to customize, which keeps growth linear.
Disrupting education requires building scalable AI-driven models where personalization improves with volume instead of becoming more expensive.
AI as an Engine, Not Enhancement
The most powerful disruption in education delivers learning experiences that adapt to each student in real time. AI analyzes performance patterns, identifies gaps instantly, and provides support exactly when needed.
“What makes this disruptive is the scalability,” Tumen explains. Once the foundation is built, personalization no longer requires more tutors or classrooms. The system becomes smarter with every interaction. AI-driven platforms improve personalization as enrollment increases because more data strengthens the algorithms.
At Hub21 EduTech, students receive learning paths adjusted based on how they interact with the material. When students struggle, the system identifies knowledge gaps and adjusts the content. When students master material quickly, the platform increases the pace.
This creates fundamentally different economics, since traditional models have unit costs that scale linearly. AI-driven models, on the other hand, have unit costs that decrease as volume increases because platforms improve without proportional increases in human labor.
Platforms Scale, Services Don’t
EdTech must operate as a platform integrating content, assessment, learning data, and workflows into a single ecosystem to scale.
Scalable platforms have three characteristics.
Self-improving content becomes more accurate as more students engage. Instead of a static curriculum requiring manual updates, platforms identify which explanations work best for different learning styles and adjust accordingly.
Automated workflows remove friction from learning. Students shouldn’t navigate multiple systems to access lessons, complete assessments, and track progress.
Modular capabilities allow rapid expansion into new subjects, markets, and even learning formats. When the platform architecture is solid, adding new content areas doesn’t require rebuilding infrastructure.
“You’re not just adding more classes, you’re building an engine that multiplies its value as it grows,” Tumen notes.
Traditional education services scale by replicating what works. Platform models scale by improving the engine driving learning, which means growth accelerates rather than requiring proportional resource increases.
Innovation and Strategy Move Together or Fail Separately
The biggest mistake leaders make is treating innovation as separate from business strategy. Disruption happens when technological progress and commercial priorities reinforce each other.
This involves continuously scanning emerging AI capabilities, experimenting with adjacent innovations, partnering across ecosystems, and investing in flexible infrastructure and teams that evolve quickly.
“When innovation and strategy are aligned, organizations don’t just adopt technology, they shape it into competitive advantage,” Tumen emphasizes.
Many EdTech companies chase every new AI capability without connecting it to strategic goals. Others focus so narrowly on current business needs that they miss technological shifts creating competitive advantages. The practical approach keeps innovation and strategy moving together.
Systems That Get Smarter as They Grow
Tumen’s extensive experience has taught him that AI must personalize learning at scale for it to be truly effective. Platforms must drive exponential growth instead of linear expansion, and innovation cycles must move in lockstep with strategic goals.
But disrupting education requires more than digital tools. It demands a new architecture in which technology fundamentally changes the economics of personalized learning.
The future of education isn’t digitized classrooms. It’s systems that improve with every student who uses them.
Connect with Emir Tumen on LinkedIn for insights on AI-driven education and scalable EdTech models.
